NFTE Midwest Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge 2024: A Celebration of Innovation and Community Impact

The energy was electric, the ideas were fire, and the future looked crazy bright (like, blindingly bright) at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Midwest Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Think “Shark Tank” but with way more hope for humanity and way less Mark Cuban. High school students from across the Midwest rolled up with their A-game, pitching their innovative business ideas to a panel of judges for a chance at seed funding and some serious bragging rights. Let’s just say, these weren’t your grandma’s lemonade stands (unless your grandma was, like, a tech genius with a killer recipe).

Ariana Whitaker and DigiPlan: School Just Got Real (ly Organized)

Taking home the top prize (and a cool fifteen hundred bucks) was Ariana Whitaker, a student at Thornwood High School in Chicago. Her brainchild? DigiPlan, an app that’s about to make your old paper planner weep (and then beg for a download). DigiPlan swoops in to save the day (and your GPA) by integrating with learning management systems (LMS) to gamify assignment completion. Procrastination who? Never heard of her.

Here’s the low-down on how DigiPlan helps students become productivity ninjas:

• Personalized schedules that factor in, like, everything (course load, extracurriculars, even your cat’s nap time – okay, maybe not that last one).
• Strategies to combat distractions because, let’s be real, TikTok isn’t going to scroll itself.
• A points-based reward system for completed assignments because who doesn’t love a little digital dopamine hit?

Recognizing Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs: The Future is Now

Ariana may have snagged the crown, but the competition was fierce. Here’s the rundown of the other entrepreneurial rockstars who blew everyone away:

Second Place – Lights On: Illuminating Inclusivity

Raahi Pachbhai from the St. Louis Science Center took home second place (and a thousand big ones) for “Lights On,” a non-profit that’s all about creating adaptive clothing and prosthetics for individuals with disabilities. Talk about fashion with a purpose!

Third Place – Ty’s Tech Repair: Where Tech Skills Meet Teen Spirit

Tywon Barber from Beloit Memorial High School in Wisconsin snagged third place (and five hundo!) for “Ty’s Tech Repair,” an IT services shop that’s not just fixing computers, it’s fixing the future. Tywon’s giving teenage interns the chance to get hands-on experience and build some serious tech skills.